Coal has been hard at work with the talented mister Artur Pereira to bring the plugged-in set back alive and kicking for our 23 December gig (at Zula Bar in Long Street). For a few months it has been set aside to simmer while we worked on the softer subtleties and rearrangements of our recent acoustic set.
Dressed in his shiny armour, Art has stepped in to help us out for these two shows. In just a few short weeks, he has added a whole new dimension to our sound with his wealth of experience, ideas and tricky rhythms. He also keeps us entertained with anecdotes about all the notorious/impressive bands for which he has tickled the snare. (Now that just sounds dirty.) We are, however, still looking for a permanent replacement, so please send any intrepid drummers who might be keen our way.
The acoustic gig at the Waiting Room was a roaring success in terms of keeping the rain at bay, forcing us to come out from behind the flashy lights and loud distortion to make ourselves more vulnerable, and teaching us much about writing and performing a ‘different’, moodier kind of set.
For the show, Vera whipped out her Renaissance lute (okay, more like gingerly lifted her out of the velvet case and cradled her - the lady is older than all of us!) for a reinterpretation of Mister Fox, which she and Cathy sang with some really beautiful goose-bump inducing harmonies. Helen taught Nick Cave a trick or two with her rendition of Henry Lee and our friends Simon and Adam from The Sleepers kindly joined us with some vocals and guitar to add more depth and drama to Ghost, The Ruse, Tractor and Stroke. Thanks, gents! We are already plotting to do more performances of this nature as we really enjoyed the ‘bones laid bare’ feel and intimate atmosphere of an acoustic performance.
To keep my ideas pot bubbling, my MP3 player has serenaded me of late with Radiohead’s In Raindows, Mogwai’s The Hawk is Howling and some other bits and bobs of Tool, Incubus and PJ Harvey. But at home there have been strains of a more folky ilk, with Simon and Chris and I working on some of Simon’s Tape hiss and Sparkle songs to get them ready for a performance in the new year sometime. *sings really high harmony*
The end of year madness is upon us all, so keep taking those vitamins and going to see local live music, and we’ll wave to you from the stage on the 23rd!
Linky Xx
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Hold onto the love you hear
We are still reeling and glowing in our post-gig reverie after a beautiful show on Wednesday night downstairs at The Mercury. The warmth from our audience washed over us and we loved every minute of performing on stage. Our heartfelt thanks to all who came out to support us.
It really felt as if we had come full circle (hopefully the first of many gradually widening ripples) with that show. The day after our debut at the same spot in June, we were asked to perform with the striking sonic princess Inge Beckmann. After the shell-shock subsided, we set about preparing for what was to be our most important gig to date. Many hours of practising and planning and popcorn eating and plucking (guitar strings and perfectly sculpted eyebrows for some of us) later, we finally made it.
As we have said on our Facebook page, the weather is always somewhat tempestuous (as a lady is wont to be :) when we play at The Mercury and it actually rather suits us. Last night the wild wind (which pushed me – my keyboard inadvertently becoming a sail – into a parked car before soundcheck) nearly destroyed our lovely 1950s hairdos crafted by the multi-talented Cathy, but we thwarted it with hairspray.
Sadly, nothing lasts forever and by midnight my poor fine locks were doing a rather sad flop over to the side of my head, barely held aloft by the feathered doo-hickey Hen tells me is called a ‘fascinator’. I didn’t lose my slipper, although now that I think about it my head did rather resemble a pumpkin.
I just had a listen to Stroke (our student sound-engineer extraordinaire friend Sven is currently tinkering with the recording for us) and I was treated yet again to shivers and goose bumps! (This happens often when we are playing music together, which I consider to be quite a good sign :)
“Just hold onto the love you hear, and my voice breaking with the waves...”
Next week we will begin rearranging our set into something more suitable and intimate for our acoustic gig at The Waiting Room on 10 November. With more fiddle! (No dirty jibes about intimate fiddling, please.) We are very excited, and hope you will love the reworked songs as much as we will. Hold thumbs for those goose bumps.
Yours in feathered fascination and pearls,
Linky
It really felt as if we had come full circle (hopefully the first of many gradually widening ripples) with that show. The day after our debut at the same spot in June, we were asked to perform with the striking sonic princess Inge Beckmann. After the shell-shock subsided, we set about preparing for what was to be our most important gig to date. Many hours of practising and planning and popcorn eating and plucking (guitar strings and perfectly sculpted eyebrows for some of us) later, we finally made it.
As we have said on our Facebook page, the weather is always somewhat tempestuous (as a lady is wont to be :) when we play at The Mercury and it actually rather suits us. Last night the wild wind (which pushed me – my keyboard inadvertently becoming a sail – into a parked car before soundcheck) nearly destroyed our lovely 1950s hairdos crafted by the multi-talented Cathy, but we thwarted it with hairspray.
Sadly, nothing lasts forever and by midnight my poor fine locks were doing a rather sad flop over to the side of my head, barely held aloft by the feathered doo-hickey Hen tells me is called a ‘fascinator’. I didn’t lose my slipper, although now that I think about it my head did rather resemble a pumpkin.
I just had a listen to Stroke (our student sound-engineer extraordinaire friend Sven is currently tinkering with the recording for us) and I was treated yet again to shivers and goose bumps! (This happens often when we are playing music together, which I consider to be quite a good sign :)
“Just hold onto the love you hear, and my voice breaking with the waves...”
Next week we will begin rearranging our set into something more suitable and intimate for our acoustic gig at The Waiting Room on 10 November. With more fiddle! (No dirty jibes about intimate fiddling, please.) We are very excited, and hope you will love the reworked songs as much as we will. Hold thumbs for those goose bumps.
Yours in feathered fascination and pearls,
Linky
PS) The photograph was taken by the talented mister Dewald Daniels. See more of his work at www.dewalddaniels.co.za
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Gig...a what?
With the 30th September looming, Coal is busy with preparations for this performance. We have finalised our set and working on the fine-tunings for some bits and bobs, but I'm happy to say we are sounding fabulous...absolutely fabulous ;)
This time we'll be doing 'Henry Lee' again with our guest, Phillip, who will be happily married by gig night!
We'll have finalised our stage set-up by Friday, so any last minute preparations can still be taken care-of.
The talented Adam Hill is responsible for creating our beautiful poster, so when you see it around Mercury or on the night, bear that in mind and give him a wink...hehe ;)
I suppose all that's left to mention is our carefully thought out theme, which will only be observed on the night...
Thanks to 'Sidecar Fire' who gave mention to us on their web page...awesome guys, awesome! ;)
See you on Wednesday!
S
This time we'll be doing 'Henry Lee' again with our guest, Phillip, who will be happily married by gig night!
We'll have finalised our stage set-up by Friday, so any last minute preparations can still be taken care-of.
The talented Adam Hill is responsible for creating our beautiful poster, so when you see it around Mercury or on the night, bear that in mind and give him a wink...hehe ;)
I suppose all that's left to mention is our carefully thought out theme, which will only be observed on the night...
Thanks to 'Sidecar Fire' who gave mention to us on their web page...awesome guys, awesome! ;)
See you on Wednesday!
S
Thursday, September 3, 2009
(S)he brings me sugar
Last night I did some last-minute dusting, wiping and sweeping on my knees (while my man watched :) to make the flat fairly habitable for the Coal ladies. We discussed stage decor, sartorial splendour and the set list for our upcoming show with Inge Beckmann (30 September at Mercury) and some other exciting developments. (More on this in the next few weeks.)
Almond biscotti, cheesy pretzels and slightly burned popcorn were chomped with much enthusiasm in-between sips of delicious organic vanilla rooibos. But before this could take place, Sherri had to go procure some sugar for our tea (hence the Tori Amos reference in the title. Anyone? Anyone?) while we banged and clanged on her imaginary drum kit in my lounge.
Because if there is one thing we can’t do without, it’s our tea. (That’s just how we roll.)
We fiddled and tweaked and hummed some more of Cathy’s new loooove song, and many a time our watchword for too much waffling was uttered:
“Knickerbockers!”
Later two of us ventured out to the hot and crowded ROAR to watch the Emerging Sounds Battle of the Bands. We went to support Fezray with our poofiest pompoms, but Helen and I were particularly amazed/confused/entertained (in equal amounts) by one of the other acts. In fact, I am still giggling! Hooray for South African music, in all its weird and wonderful forms.
Yours in tea (heeing)
L*
Almond biscotti, cheesy pretzels and slightly burned popcorn were chomped with much enthusiasm in-between sips of delicious organic vanilla rooibos. But before this could take place, Sherri had to go procure some sugar for our tea (hence the Tori Amos reference in the title. Anyone? Anyone?) while we banged and clanged on her imaginary drum kit in my lounge.
Because if there is one thing we can’t do without, it’s our tea. (That’s just how we roll.)
We fiddled and tweaked and hummed some more of Cathy’s new loooove song, and many a time our watchword for too much waffling was uttered:
“Knickerbockers!”
Later two of us ventured out to the hot and crowded ROAR to watch the Emerging Sounds Battle of the Bands. We went to support Fezray with our poofiest pompoms, but Helen and I were particularly amazed/confused/entertained (in equal amounts) by one of the other acts. In fact, I am still giggling! Hooray for South African music, in all its weird and wonderful forms.
Yours in tea (heeing)
L*
Monday, August 31, 2009
Silly shoes and all...
Well me dearies, it's Monday after a weekend that would intimidate even the stoutest of heart. Needless to say that the ladies of Coal had a fantastic time on Saturday night, playing at ROAR, even with the drama that surrounded this gig.
No, we didn't cry, we didn't scream or even flinch when we were informed that we were to go on stage at 10:30pm, instead of 12:00am, to hail the re-opening of Gotham. Instead, I tried to break all land speed and make-up application time records
to run from the car to the stage in the nick of time! Apologies to all the friends who I was unable to sms to notify of the time change, applying false eyelashes and smsing at the same time is not to be attempted!
The crowd attending the Seven Deadly Sins party was a real treat to perform for and I hope that we see you guys soon at our shows. Wednesday will see us
attending Fezray's gig at ROAR. Come along, it would be lovely to see a few familiar faces.
The next day while nursing my bruised tootsies,(the shoes I bought for this gig were not my dancing shoes, they were the shoes which looked pretty and almost caused acute ankle failure on the way to the car) and working my tuch off at the Celebrate life festival, it was on a cloud of post-gig elation that I managed to get through the gruelling early start and day of massaging the knots out of peoples' shoulders.
Thanks once again to my band-mates and the folks who come out to support live music. I, for one, felt like a Chinese foot binding victim after wiggling on the spot to the Sleepers' set... and by the way their cover of Bela Lugosi's dead was superb!
This last little while the lassies have been picking apart our songs and rearranging them. It's a painstaking process, but one which fills one with an enormous sense of satisfaction when we perform the new babies for the first time and they are well received.*sigh*
The next month is going to see more refining of our material, as well as the crafting of a few new songs, so best diarize the 30 September, when we will be on stage at the Mercury Lounge with Cape Town legend, Inge Beckmann.
Rock on!
C
No, we didn't cry, we didn't scream or even flinch when we were informed that we were to go on stage at 10:30pm, instead of 12:00am, to hail the re-opening of Gotham. Instead, I tried to break all land speed and make-up application time records
to run from the car to the stage in the nick of time! Apologies to all the friends who I was unable to sms to notify of the time change, applying false eyelashes and smsing at the same time is not to be attempted!
The crowd attending the Seven Deadly Sins party was a real treat to perform for and I hope that we see you guys soon at our shows. Wednesday will see us
attending Fezray's gig at ROAR. Come along, it would be lovely to see a few familiar faces.
The next day while nursing my bruised tootsies,(the shoes I bought for this gig were not my dancing shoes, they were the shoes which looked pretty and almost caused acute ankle failure on the way to the car) and working my tuch off at the Celebrate life festival, it was on a cloud of post-gig elation that I managed to get through the gruelling early start and day of massaging the knots out of peoples' shoulders.
Thanks once again to my band-mates and the folks who come out to support live music. I, for one, felt like a Chinese foot binding victim after wiggling on the spot to the Sleepers' set... and by the way their cover of Bela Lugosi's dead was superb!
This last little while the lassies have been picking apart our songs and rearranging them. It's a painstaking process, but one which fills one with an enormous sense of satisfaction when we perform the new babies for the first time and they are well received.*sigh*
The next month is going to see more refining of our material, as well as the crafting of a few new songs, so best diarize the 30 September, when we will be on stage at the Mercury Lounge with Cape Town legend, Inge Beckmann.
Rock on!
C
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Pretty posing and the travelling comb
On Sunday morning, a delightful white plastic comb found its way into our waistbands, was tucked discreetly into the tops of our thigh-high stockings and even enjoyed a brief rest in a sunbeam coming through the stained glass windows of a church gallery.
All this in aid of some seriously teased hair.
Sherri and I had to keep plumping up our locks in order to get them poofed out in their full glory for our photo shoot, for which we wandered around Vera’s neighbourhood in search of suitably quaint/grungy/well-lit settings. And the comb was our constant companion.
*Tease tease*
The whole experience was relatively painless, apart from the hot stench of pee on the street at one of our backdrops (a rickety picket fence behind some beautiful old sticks and twigs). Oh, and the shoes. Wow. Cathy and Helen especially deserve a medal of bravery for their patent leather stilettos!
We were lucky enough to be given permission by the church in Mowbray to shoot inside just after a service, in some lovely soft amber light coming into the gallery. We did, of course, ruffle a few of the churchgoers’ feathers: trussed up in our corsets, black lace, fishnets, tulle tutus etc. we must have resembled some kind of cultish coven! And don’t forget the big hair. “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!”
Michaela Verity, our intrepid, patient and talented photographer is currently tinkering with the negatives (yes, she used real film!) and we hope to have some proof of all of the excitement (and the teasing) within a week.
L*
All this in aid of some seriously teased hair.
Sherri and I had to keep plumping up our locks in order to get them poofed out in their full glory for our photo shoot, for which we wandered around Vera’s neighbourhood in search of suitably quaint/grungy/well-lit settings. And the comb was our constant companion.
*Tease tease*
The whole experience was relatively painless, apart from the hot stench of pee on the street at one of our backdrops (a rickety picket fence behind some beautiful old sticks and twigs). Oh, and the shoes. Wow. Cathy and Helen especially deserve a medal of bravery for their patent leather stilettos!
We were lucky enough to be given permission by the church in Mowbray to shoot inside just after a service, in some lovely soft amber light coming into the gallery. We did, of course, ruffle a few of the churchgoers’ feathers: trussed up in our corsets, black lace, fishnets, tulle tutus etc. we must have resembled some kind of cultish coven! And don’t forget the big hair. “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!”
Michaela Verity, our intrepid, patient and talented photographer is currently tinkering with the negatives (yes, she used real film!) and we hope to have some proof of all of the excitement (and the teasing) within a week.
L*
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Coal conferences
We’re making plans for another meeting tomorrow (there will be avo to lure us to Helen’s) at which we shall discuss world domination, shoes, our upcoming Gotham gig and our photo shoot with the lovely and talented Michaela. We have loads of ideas of pretty things (unearthed mostly by Helen who certainly does not abuse the net at work, oh no sireeee) and references for the shoot, and we are very excited about practising sucking in our chins while we pose. Maybe that’s just me :)
Last week our Wed planning-of-miscellaneous-goodies get-together at Sherri’s involved lots of sweet tea, watching a martial artist drag a truck by his winkie (only on video, sadly), popcorn, banana bread, plastic diamante belt buckles, and many an 80s music video of a group we hope to cover soon. We love the poofy hair and the neon! And the white-washed jeans! We also learned how to connect our gmail calendars together, so that future pracs and meetings can be pencilled in around the very busy and fabulous private lives of all the Coal members. Yay for technology!
Speaking of which, Cathy brought a song idea which she had cleverly recorded on her cell phone. This lovely ditty we further developed on Saturday at practice. Goosebumps all over! (Although, again this is probably just me. I am a bit of a sap.) It was so inspiring for all of us to work on some new melodies and play around with ideas. The cheap drinks helped to lubricate us too. I look forward to more of the same this Saturday.
Yours in Black Label and lace,
L*
Last week our Wed planning-of-miscellaneous-goodies get-together at Sherri’s involved lots of sweet tea, watching a martial artist drag a truck by his winkie (only on video, sadly), popcorn, banana bread, plastic diamante belt buckles, and many an 80s music video of a group we hope to cover soon. We love the poofy hair and the neon! And the white-washed jeans! We also learned how to connect our gmail calendars together, so that future pracs and meetings can be pencilled in around the very busy and fabulous private lives of all the Coal members. Yay for technology!
Speaking of which, Cathy brought a song idea which she had cleverly recorded on her cell phone. This lovely ditty we further developed on Saturday at practice. Goosebumps all over! (Although, again this is probably just me. I am a bit of a sap.) It was so inspiring for all of us to work on some new melodies and play around with ideas. The cheap drinks helped to lubricate us too. I look forward to more of the same this Saturday.
Yours in Black Label and lace,
L*
Monday, July 20, 2009
A day in the life of Linda
(Linky plinky-plonk extraordinaire)
I am still trying to figure out what I want to be one day when I am big. In the meantime I spend my working days typing and reading and bitching about the news. And trying to block out the office radio. I’m not a music snob (mostly) but I have to draw the line at bubblegum pop covers of The Cure. Sacrilege! I miss TUKS fm. Especially when I worked on the music committee during my student days and could playlist Deftones on a Sunday morning. \m/ (metal sign :)
First thing on a week day my cell alarm will go off. (Fiesta, for those of you with Nokias.) Its merry ridiculousness cheers me up in the early morn darkness. After I manage to drag myself out from under all my fluffy blankets I begin the daily shower/beverage/breakfast dance with my housemate (and boyfriend) to the tune of whatever we fancy. It varies from A Perfect Circle to Vivaldi to Radiohead to The Arcade Fire. (Sometimes we really dance and I try not to lead.)
I then begin my drive to work in my little skedonk, curse all the people who push in the queue on the M5, and get lost in my head while listening to my little pink MP3 player. At the moment my playlist includes Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus, and O’stravanganza (a celtic/classical combo with loads of beautiful strings). During the trip I often try to eat home-made popcorn, but most of it ends up on the floor.
I am assistant editor at a boutique publishing house, where I work on a handful of trade magazines. I edit and write news, interviews and other features, and deal with clients. The office is reasonably small, so there is never a queue to use the kettle (yay) and my colleagues are awesome. I used to be an English teacher at a high school in town, but I wasn’t allowed to swear or wear anything low-cut, so that became a problem.
After work I often go to the local library (*nerd alert*) and scout for cool novels to read. I love the soft amber lights and the way everyone there is quietly industrious – it’s like a bustling but peaceful community of word lovers. I do this, or go wander around Canal Walk, because I can’t bear sitting in traffic.
It thrills me to find bargains at the cheapie shops or spend time admiring all the beautiful paper, ribbons and lace at that crafty store downstairs near Checkers. And one day when I die I will go to Woolworths. Soft brushed cotton sheets! White mature cheddar! Beautiful lacy lingerie! Snoopy pjs! Vanilla body butter!
*heaven*
When I get home, Simon is usually singing in the study so I get to guiltily watch Isidingo. (Don’t tell.) I find it very therapeutic to chop, stir and cook, and really enjoy the whole ‘slow food’ notion. (Less fast-food and processed nonsense, more fresh things and home-cooked meals.)
Because both my boyfriend and I are struggling musicians/writers/artists, the meals I make are usually ‘bubble and squeak’ combinations of whatever is in the fridge. One day when I am rich I will be able to buy exactly what I feel like all the time. (I foresee many perfectly ripe Haas avocados; that red Woolies pesto; Lindt extra creamy; Stilton cheese; and white Chocobreak cookies on the menu. But not together.) My lovely personal minstrel will often play guitar and sing while I cook and sip on Shiraz. Most evenings I go out to see people, munch yummy things like sushi or homemade anything, make beautiful music (or trees!) with the Coal ladies, quaff wine/beer/whisky in cosy places, or watch dvds on the couch if the weather is poo, which it often is during soggy Cape winters.
Weekends usually involve lots of socialising and sunbeams and band practice at Kill City Blues. Hey, it’s better than book club! (This, erm, charming sentiment, uttered by a fellow musician one Saturday at practice, keeps us motivated to be first and foremost a good band, not just a group of chicks who are on a break from more ‘suitable’ feminine occupations.)
Heading out to watch live local music and lurk with the rest of CT’s music-loving community is also a weekend treat for me, as well as the rest of the band. If The Sleepers are playing, I will be there with my pompoms out. I am, however, having a little trouble getting Simon into the cheerleader outfit for Coal shows. Just give me time...
Do return next week when one of the other Coal ladies will spill their pretty beans.
Linky
X
I am still trying to figure out what I want to be one day when I am big. In the meantime I spend my working days typing and reading and bitching about the news. And trying to block out the office radio. I’m not a music snob (mostly) but I have to draw the line at bubblegum pop covers of The Cure. Sacrilege! I miss TUKS fm. Especially when I worked on the music committee during my student days and could playlist Deftones on a Sunday morning. \m/ (metal sign :)
First thing on a week day my cell alarm will go off. (Fiesta, for those of you with Nokias.) Its merry ridiculousness cheers me up in the early morn darkness. After I manage to drag myself out from under all my fluffy blankets I begin the daily shower/beverage/breakfast dance with my housemate (and boyfriend) to the tune of whatever we fancy. It varies from A Perfect Circle to Vivaldi to Radiohead to The Arcade Fire. (Sometimes we really dance and I try not to lead.)
I then begin my drive to work in my little skedonk, curse all the people who push in the queue on the M5, and get lost in my head while listening to my little pink MP3 player. At the moment my playlist includes Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus, and O’stravanganza (a celtic/classical combo with loads of beautiful strings). During the trip I often try to eat home-made popcorn, but most of it ends up on the floor.
I am assistant editor at a boutique publishing house, where I work on a handful of trade magazines. I edit and write news, interviews and other features, and deal with clients. The office is reasonably small, so there is never a queue to use the kettle (yay) and my colleagues are awesome. I used to be an English teacher at a high school in town, but I wasn’t allowed to swear or wear anything low-cut, so that became a problem.
After work I often go to the local library (*nerd alert*) and scout for cool novels to read. I love the soft amber lights and the way everyone there is quietly industrious – it’s like a bustling but peaceful community of word lovers. I do this, or go wander around Canal Walk, because I can’t bear sitting in traffic.
It thrills me to find bargains at the cheapie shops or spend time admiring all the beautiful paper, ribbons and lace at that crafty store downstairs near Checkers. And one day when I die I will go to Woolworths. Soft brushed cotton sheets! White mature cheddar! Beautiful lacy lingerie! Snoopy pjs! Vanilla body butter!
*heaven*
When I get home, Simon is usually singing in the study so I get to guiltily watch Isidingo. (Don’t tell.) I find it very therapeutic to chop, stir and cook, and really enjoy the whole ‘slow food’ notion. (Less fast-food and processed nonsense, more fresh things and home-cooked meals.)
Because both my boyfriend and I are struggling musicians/writers/artists, the meals I make are usually ‘bubble and squeak’ combinations of whatever is in the fridge. One day when I am rich I will be able to buy exactly what I feel like all the time. (I foresee many perfectly ripe Haas avocados; that red Woolies pesto; Lindt extra creamy; Stilton cheese; and white Chocobreak cookies on the menu. But not together.) My lovely personal minstrel will often play guitar and sing while I cook and sip on Shiraz. Most evenings I go out to see people, munch yummy things like sushi or homemade anything, make beautiful music (or trees!) with the Coal ladies, quaff wine/beer/whisky in cosy places, or watch dvds on the couch if the weather is poo, which it often is during soggy Cape winters.
Weekends usually involve lots of socialising and sunbeams and band practice at Kill City Blues. Hey, it’s better than book club! (This, erm, charming sentiment, uttered by a fellow musician one Saturday at practice, keeps us motivated to be first and foremost a good band, not just a group of chicks who are on a break from more ‘suitable’ feminine occupations.)
Heading out to watch live local music and lurk with the rest of CT’s music-loving community is also a weekend treat for me, as well as the rest of the band. If The Sleepers are playing, I will be there with my pompoms out. I am, however, having a little trouble getting Simon into the cheerleader outfit for Coal shows. Just give me time...
Do return next week when one of the other Coal ladies will spill their pretty beans.
Linky
X
Monday, July 13, 2009
About that chick...
About that chick, Cathy...
Coal has been hard at work practise-practise-practising this weekend and it has been really productive.
The gals have decided that we should each write about a day in the life of each of us, so as to get to know us better.
It's the perfect day for this kind of past time. It's raining non-stop, and I'm looking forward to snuggling on the couch with my Daschund, Oscar and watching loads of DVD's, but first things first.
I'm self employed, and do many different jobs. No two days are ever the same, thankfully.
This week I'm playing day-mother to my nephew, Connor. He's a six month old darling, who is so cute,
I want to squeeze him till he pops! No, seriously, I love him a lot!!!
He comes with me to work, which is a company myself and my friend, Lenka run.
We specialise in designer Corsets and wedding dresses. At the moment we are working on a dress for
a friend of ours, Kim Turner.
It's a really creative line of work which allows me to indulge my fantasies. Should anyone be curious about what these items may look like, look for the Secret Garden Group on Facebook.
I must just add, I admire any woman who manages to balance motherhood and work. The weeks when I go to work with the baby on my hip, are the ones where I wish I had an extra pair of arms and maybe a pair of eyes in my arse. I'm shattered at the end of the day!
I also do Shiatsu, a Japanese style of massage based on Traditional Chinese Medicine. Should you see me pressing the Acupuncture points of my fellow musicians at a gig....that's what I'm doing.
I love being able to help people out when they are in a bad way, and fortunately Shiatsu is a fabulous medium.
Funny that most of my clients are musicians...somehow this therapy suits the physical demands of the profession. It's fabulous for all the aches and pains which result from playing an instrument, and it also benefits vocalists, to improve vocal range and control.
I also teach Shiatsu twice a week at the Academy of Shiatsu in Green Point. My students are about to start their third module of training out of five.
The course that we teach takes about a year and a half to complete, and is very thorough.
We teach all the techniques one could need as a practitioner as well as Traditional Chinese Medicinal theory as it applies to Shiatsu Massage.
So all in, when I'm not playing the violin and singing with the girls, I'm quite a busy person.
Being in a band with these girls is a real privilege. I saw the ad which Helen posted in the LMG, at the beginning of the year (Hooray for Mike Smith!!), one sunny afternoon while sipping Margueritas at the Fat Cactus, and sooner than you can say:"Gringo!"I had called Helen and set up an audition.
Thankfully, I made the grade and so the journey began...
I've been playing Irish Traditional folk music with what's called a Session for the last 12 years, so Coal is a new departure for me, which I'm loving!!
Coal has been hard at work practise-practise-practising this weekend and it has been really productive.
The gals have decided that we should each write about a day in the life of each of us, so as to get to know us better.
It's the perfect day for this kind of past time. It's raining non-stop, and I'm looking forward to snuggling on the couch with my Daschund, Oscar and watching loads of DVD's, but first things first.
I'm self employed, and do many different jobs. No two days are ever the same, thankfully.
This week I'm playing day-mother to my nephew, Connor. He's a six month old darling, who is so cute,
I want to squeeze him till he pops! No, seriously, I love him a lot!!!
He comes with me to work, which is a company myself and my friend, Lenka run.
We specialise in designer Corsets and wedding dresses. At the moment we are working on a dress for
a friend of ours, Kim Turner.
It's a really creative line of work which allows me to indulge my fantasies. Should anyone be curious about what these items may look like, look for the Secret Garden Group on Facebook.
I must just add, I admire any woman who manages to balance motherhood and work. The weeks when I go to work with the baby on my hip, are the ones where I wish I had an extra pair of arms and maybe a pair of eyes in my arse. I'm shattered at the end of the day!
I also do Shiatsu, a Japanese style of massage based on Traditional Chinese Medicine. Should you see me pressing the Acupuncture points of my fellow musicians at a gig....that's what I'm doing.
I love being able to help people out when they are in a bad way, and fortunately Shiatsu is a fabulous medium.
Funny that most of my clients are musicians...somehow this therapy suits the physical demands of the profession. It's fabulous for all the aches and pains which result from playing an instrument, and it also benefits vocalists, to improve vocal range and control.
I also teach Shiatsu twice a week at the Academy of Shiatsu in Green Point. My students are about to start their third module of training out of five.
The course that we teach takes about a year and a half to complete, and is very thorough.
We teach all the techniques one could need as a practitioner as well as Traditional Chinese Medicinal theory as it applies to Shiatsu Massage.
So all in, when I'm not playing the violin and singing with the girls, I'm quite a busy person.
Being in a band with these girls is a real privilege. I saw the ad which Helen posted in the LMG, at the beginning of the year (Hooray for Mike Smith!!), one sunny afternoon while sipping Margueritas at the Fat Cactus, and sooner than you can say:"Gringo!"I had called Helen and set up an audition.
Thankfully, I made the grade and so the journey began...
I've been playing Irish Traditional folk music with what's called a Session for the last 12 years, so Coal is a new departure for me, which I'm loving!!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Embers of Coal
Exciting things are happening in the land of Coal.
We are all still reeling from our incredibly successful debut gig, which saw the Mercury Lounge packed to capacity on a very cold and rainy Cape Town evening. We could never have fathomed such a warm reception to this very special project of ours.
We have now entered into a management agreement with Headline Artists! We are also really excited to be working with Jon Monsoon at Plus 1 Media Productions.
Our website is nearly up and running - we plan to make it as interactive as possible and will all be blogging regularly so you can all get a peek into the enchanting world of Coal.
Right now we're preparing for our 2nd gig, which is at Kunskafee on Saturday 4th July. We hope to see everyone there!
xx
Coal
We are all still reeling from our incredibly successful debut gig, which saw the Mercury Lounge packed to capacity on a very cold and rainy Cape Town evening. We could never have fathomed such a warm reception to this very special project of ours.
We have now entered into a management agreement with Headline Artists! We are also really excited to be working with Jon Monsoon at Plus 1 Media Productions.
Our website is nearly up and running - we plan to make it as interactive as possible and will all be blogging regularly so you can all get a peek into the enchanting world of Coal.
Right now we're preparing for our 2nd gig, which is at Kunskafee on Saturday 4th July. We hope to see everyone there!
xx
Coal
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